What Dr. C.R.M.A says is o.k., but how far a lay man can follow the rules strictly according to the traditions maintained in the old classic. When the old classics were written, the English language was confined to British island, but it became later on a window language for the whole world and it has adopted many changes in the English Language, borrowing words from other countries, which the Britishers ruled world over. The thoughts and words expressed vary from country to country and the style of expression has also undergone a remarkable change from place to place.
If there is no flexibility, but only rigidity in any form of expression, it is likely to break one day. In the storm a tall tree gets uprooted, whereas a tall grass, that bends, remains firm on the ground. Similarly, the language survives on the basis of flexibility rather than rigidity on rules. The old order changes, yielding place to new. It doesn't mean the basic rules of rhythm and rhymes should be totally sacrificed in the name of modernisation of poetry. The rhythm and rhyme beautify the poetic expression, no doubt, of what we want to say and remain firm in the minds of readers. So, I am slightly in favor of flexibility in expression as against the rigidity. Rajaram R (dt.21-6-04)

I was just browsing through the forum - and found this topic Rhyme and Metre. No doubt Iambic Pentametre attracts, moreover a mysterious metre - given to it all the ramblings of new findings since the publication of The Da Vinci Code. But somehow Free verse makes the poem simple and easy to follow. Iambic Pentametre is easier than Blank verse (atleast seems so) . Nevertheless Iambic Pentametre remains my favourite.
'Oh, gentle Faustus, leave this damned art' (Marlowe)

I agree with Poet Rajaram Ramachandran. In fact, the commonest and easiest metre would be preferably the'iambic tetra or pentametre'.This would be a convenient one to start with. But don't worry. If you fail to keep it, you will slip into the 'loose iambic metre'- that's all! It is NOT VERY DIFFICULT to write poetry with rhythm, rhyme and metre. The only problem is people think their freedom of expression is curtailed in that process. But I don't agree with this and to prove this point, I have simply gone on to write hundreds of poems esp. sonnets with varying themes and styles- with clarity- without sacrificing anything that I wanted to say!
regards,
Dr John Celes

Further to my comments, I wish to add here as follows:
The ancient languages Sanskrit, Latin, Hebrew were said to be so rigid that they have lost their currency among the living people. May be a handful of men may be talking and reading these oldest languages. Ramayan and Mahabarat were supposed to be earliest poems written in Sanskrit thousands of years ago, but a common man cannot read them without the aid of teachers well versed in Sanskrit.
So what I now feel is that there should be a mixer of classic plus modern verses for a change of taste. When we eat food, we don't eat the same food, but our tongue needs varieties. Like this the taste of poetry should not be monotonous by claiming the classic only is the best among the lot. The English language should survive for ages to come and writing poetry should not be the monopoly of few individuals, but should be wide spread among all the lovers of this language. In fact, the poetry brings out the pent up feelings of an individual and make him feel light in his sunken heart. In one way, everyone should be encouraged to write poems in his own way to bring his hidden feelings out, which may keep his heart strong in the long run. Of course, nothing prevents grading these poems according to their merits, say A Class, B Class, C class and so on. Hope the medical profession will accept this as one more factor to reduce the tension of the heart. But still I agree with my doctor friend that classic poems are the best among all the poems flooding this world. Hats off to Dr.CRMA who maintains a classic standard in his contribution to the poetic world to the extent of more than 2000 poems, most of which come under the category of Sonnets. May God give him a long life to enable him to write more and more classic poems for the benefit of the world poets community.
Rajaram R (21-6-04)

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